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The three Sphinx guns DR was shown were the double-action/single-action 9mm (9mm Parabellum/9x19mm NATO) compact and tactical models, and the .45 ACP single-action-only competition model. All the pistols feature an ambidextrous frame-mounted sweep-down manual thumb safety (safety/decocker on the 9mm models), so you can carry them cocked and locked. They also feature fiber-optic front sights with tritium inserts on both front and rear sights (3-dot format). Like all modern tactical/combat pistols, the Sphinx pistols incorporate a Mil-Std-1913 “Picatinny” rail system on the frame’s dustcover for mounting tactical white lights and laser sights/targeting lasers.

The KRISS Sphinx Compact 9mm tactical pistol sports a 3.5-inch (3.5″) barrel, aluminum frame, and 14+1-round ammo capacity. The tactical model sports a steel frame and offers an ammo capacity of 17+1 rounds, as well as an optional extended barrel for attaching either a muzzle compensator or DEFIANCE silencer/sound suppressor. The DEFIANCE muzzle cans attach via an interesting system, which Defense Review covered in our recent article on the KRISS K10 subgun.

All in all, the Sphinx pistols look well put together, and they ooze Swiss quality. The big questions are how will the guns perform under adverse conditions and high round count, and how will the American market (U.S. market) respond to them? How will they do against all the other more-established tactical pistol options out there, like Glock, Smith & Wesson (S&W) M&P, Springfield XD/XDM, and Heckler & Koch (HK) pistols, which are all polymer-framed pistols, as is de rigueur, today? Time and marketing will tell, but we hope the Sphinx pistols work as advertised and do well, as they appear to be of high-quality.

KRISS Sphinx Tactical Pistols and DEFIANCE Silencer/Sound Suppressors at SHOT Show 2011: High-End Swiss Tactical Pistols for Military Special Operations, Law Enforcement SWAT Ops, and Competitive Shooting
by David Crane

About David Crane

David Crane started publishing online in 2001. Since that time, governments, military organizations, Special Operators (i.e. professional trigger pullers), agencies, and civilian tactical shooters the world over have come to depend on Defense Review as the authoritative source of news and information on "the latest and greatest" in the field of military defense and tactical technology and hardware, including tactical firearms, ammunition, equipment, gear, and training.